I keep thinking and saying Lennon's "Strange Times Indeed"!

I understand your Mother's feelings, but we are in a so much more empowered place than in the 1930s & 40s. Our ability to communicate, organize and act around the world is phenomenal. It is an awakening, understanding and tolerance will prevail. Muslims have raised $100,000 to repair the vandalized cemetery. Healing times indeed.

Ben:

My mother passed away 20 years ago and was also never afraid here, but had she been alive, she would have shared the same fear.

Cayce,
I admire your optimism. Were this to be an isolated incident I would agree with you, especially given the generosity of this Muslim community. However, for the past couple of years we have been experiencing an ever growing antisemitism on college campuses, a significant rise in antisemitic incidents around the country, particularly since the inauguration of our new President.. Coincidence? I doubt it. We are living in times that are undergoing a world wide change and Jews, as usual, are at the center of it (France Germany, Austria, etc.. Whether or not Trump is antisemitic or not is not for me to say, but Trump's callous inability on numerous recent occasions to acknowledge the dangerous and frightening incidents happening around the country, simply encourages the behavior. While I withhold Judgement about Trump the person, I have no doubt about Steve Bannon who is at the very least an avowed "white nationalist," and at worst a dangerous racist.
Unfortunately, we really do have grounds to be afraid. Now is the time to acknowledge that and fight. Never Again!!!

My dad immigrated here from Egypt in 1952. He was escaping the terror of Nasser. He lived the American dream and became very successful in his career. He loved this country and always felt safe. Then 9/11 happened and with the Patriot Act no longer felt safe, where if someone felt threatened by an Arab or Muslim you can call the police and have them arrested. At the time he was living in Southampton and was in his late 70s. He ultimately moved back to Egypt.

Thank you for your blog, Ben. If your mother feels fear, there is good reason for it from her past. I am fearful too. Even when trump spoke out against racism and anti-Semitism he was speaking from a printed page, not from his heart. Watching him as his finger moved across the page I felt nothing but disgust for him and his administration. I feel that not only Jews and Muslims have reason to fear, but anyone that is different from the president or his chief strategist might have reason to be looking over his/her shoulder. I hope I am wrong.

Ben shared this with us today at our regular group meeting. There was certainly a lively and passionate discussion among us. But it was respectful and there was willingness to understand the sides.

I contended that if Trump were just willing to start with not disparaging others it would reduce the boldness that escalates anti-jewish and anti-muslim actions directed at people simply for their birthright and religious right based upon ignorance that has no place in the US.

Sadly I was involved in a discussion 10 days ago with a Muslim mother whose 18 year old daughter is leaving for college. Mama is fearful because of the direct actions taken against her and her family on Long Island. They were told to go back to their homeland that they weren't welcomed here by Five Towns people. Their homeland is here. It is where each were born. They contribute to our society in meaningful ways and are devoutly spiritual in positive ways not the rhetoric social media badly portrays.

Social media has become a vehicle to hide behind and bring forth brazen voices bend on creating hate where none should exist. It starts with Trump. I sometimes wonder if we were simply to focus on this one idea of demanding as a nation from all sides of the isle that we can differ in our politics, but we cannot condone or encourage disparaging remarks by any leader that represents us. Donald Mockingbird has to end. Otherwise he is just as fake, just as criminal, and just as bad as the ones he disparagingly calls out. Can we at least start there and find uniformity is that? Hopefully what it will do is allow calmer and respectful discussion.

My colleague at the meeting today got me to see his point of view based upon real experiences his family is exposed. I had the opposite view. But it got me to think and realize there was value in what he was saying. And he acknowledge the same in me. We may never come to agreement on the issues, but something real valuable happen today. That is the American way. Who's with me on this?

My preference is not to fear so much as to act, encourage and inspire others to do so too!

Oy!
DT calling Mexicans (you kmow he's lumping the entire Hispanic population in there)---I have had to have conversations with my children that I NEVER thought I would have). I can't express how painful it has been and how I worry as well.
A friend and I share this hashtag
#letsnotbebystanders

I'm working on it!